110-120mm adjusted rigid fork w/ 20mm thru

ok so i posted a thread in 29er comp and no replies, but many views. sooooo this leads me to believe that there isnt a production fork out there that meets my criteria. so heres my 2 options: 1) buy a cromoto grande and add in ~30-40mm of tube, which i'm perfectly capable of doing. i just dont know if it would throw off other geo of the fork that i'm not aware of. 2) have one fabbed up, but fear of paying more than the cost of a drop piece of tube and a cromoto. this dilema is hindering my chupa cabra build.

Get a new frame

120mm corrected 29er fork, eh?

First off, welding "tube" onto the steerer of an existing fork is a bad idea - the steerer is butted and thicker at the bottom. Adding 40mm will put the fulcrum in the thinner section of tube and send your dentist's kids to grad school in comp lit.

Second, if you're on a budget, forget custom, because it's going to cost more than the frame based on those requirements.

thanks for the facts walt, im new to this. i figured i could have spliced in at the widest dia after the radius on the fork, not the steerer. i like my grill intact, lol. i want a rigid fork to accomodate a 110x20 hub for a chupa cabra frame. i figured that based on the 110mm fork on my current 29er. the cromoto grande maxle is 80mm adjusted. i fear that huge 30mm difference will drastically change the ride. maybe im wrong?

Yeah, that's probably going to steepen the head tube a degree or so. It looks like your frame was designed around a 100mm fork though, so you are probably running it a bid more slack than intended (not a big deal).

The Salsa fork is a great value for such a niche product. If I built something like that it would be pricey. I don't TIG weld.

Yes

If you like how the bike rides with a 120mm fork, the 80mm corrected fork will not make you happy - head and seat tube angles will gain more than a degree and a half and the bike will be much, much quicker steering and less stable.

Do not modify a fork, there is no good way to do that safely and what you are describing is a terrible idea. Depending on the hub you're running, you may be able to simply swap end caps and run a 9mm axle - that might be a solution if you can find a rigid fork with a longer axle-crown.

-Walt

Originally Posted by fishwrinkle

thanks for the facts walt, im new to this. i figured i could have spliced in at the widest dia after the radius on the fork, not the steerer. i like my grill intact, lol. i want a rigid fork to accomodate a 110x20 hub for a chupa cabra frame. i figured that based on the 110mm fork on my current 29er. the cromoto grande maxle is 80mm adjusted. i fear that huge 30mm difference will drastically change the ride. maybe im wrong?

i find it odd that there arent companies that produce a 100-120mm adjusted fork. what am i missing here? vassago chupa cabra frame will accept a fork in that range mentioned. so maybe this frame wasnt meant for a rigid? idk as i stated im new to building from the ground up and mtb'ing in general. reason i want a 20mm axle is due to me breaking 9mm several times. that is no fun at all & caused me to have multiple injuries, none to serious yet. i want a 20mm for strength of the axle and to stiffen the front up. my talon 1 with the garbage fork that it came with, is what i am judging by. that is getting changed over to a manitou tower pro. i want this ss to be as simplistic as possible. maybe im looking at this totally wrong. so what would a ballpark figure be for this fork, 3-400? im already at $2300 so whats a few more. man i should just buy a jones...lol.

Your frame is really meant for a suspension fork. If you truly want to run rigid, start over with something else. If you can find someone who will make what you want (just to be clear: I will not build this for you) I would expect to pay something like $500.

i find it odd that there arent companies that produce a 100-120mm adjusted fork.

There are many companies that will (small builders). But if you are looking at cheap production steel forks, you are going to have to wait. The supply in the chain is based on what was needed 2-3 years ago. Many custom builders will build what ever you want. There are no stock 20mm dropouts available right now (at least I don't think there are) so we are talking about fabricating one off parts. Be ready to spend $500 for a fork and you shouldn't have a problem finding someone to make it.